Transcript Friedrich Nietzsche - Henry County Schools

Friedrich Nietzsche
By: Ethan Zakrewski, Derek Moore, Jordan St.
Peter, Sarah Donaldson, and Madison Queen
Nietzsche's Early Life
Photo by Arman Bryan
Born on October 15, 1844 in Röcken bei Lützen. His father and brother died when he was 5; he, his mother,
and other family members moved shortly afterwards. Attended a first-rate boarding school from the age of
14-19. He went to the University of Bonn in 1864 as a theology and philology student, but he soon focused
more on philology He moved to the University of Leipzig in 1865.
Arthur Schopenhauer's The World as Will and Representation (1818) captured his mind and led him towards an
atheistic view after he found it in a local bookstore.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/
Nietzsche’s Ethical POV
Nietzsche writes about possible “great human beings” or "higher types" who serve as an example of people who would
follow his philosophical ideals. These ideal human beings Nietzsche calls by terms such as "the philosopher of the future",
"the free spirit", "the tragic artist" and "the Übermensch" which translates directly into “superman.” They are often described
by Nietzsche as being highly creative, courageous, powerful and extremely rare individuals. They are “geniuses” by his
definition of how an ideal individual acts.
In Thus Spoke Zarathustra, Nietzsche puts forward the "the Übermensch” as a goal that humanity can set for itself.
Nietzsche argued that two types of morality existed: a master morality that comes from the "noble man", and a slave
morality that develops reactively within the weak man. These two moralities do not present simple inversions of one
another. They form two different value systems: master morality fits actions into a scale of 'good' or 'bad' consequences,
whereas slave morality fits actions into a scale of "good" or "evil" intentions.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche-moral-political/
Aesthetics Of Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) was a German philosopher of the late 19th century who challenged the foundations of
Christianity and traditional morality.
Friedrich Nietzsche was interested in the enhancement of individual and cultural health, and believed in life, creativity, power,
and the realities of the world we live in, rather than those situated in a world beyond.
Nietzsche claims to be wise as a consequence of his acute aesthetic sensitivity to nuances of health and sickness in people's
attitudes and characters; he claims to be clever because he knows how to choose the right nutrition, climate, residence and
recreation for himself.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/
Influence of Others
After graduating from Schulpforta, Nietzsche entered the University of Bonn in 1864 as a theology and philology student, and became
inspired by a man named Ritschl, and followed him to the University of Leipzig in 1865. Ritschl was a classic scholar whose work was
based around the Roman comic poet, Plautus
During his time at the University of Bonn, Nietzsche quickly established his own academic reputation through his published essays on
two 6th century BCE poets, Theognis and Simonides, which he wrote through his inspiration on Ritschl.
At the age of 21, Schopenhauer's atheistic vision of the world influenced Nietzsche's imagination, and helped him keep a mature
thought. After discovering Schopenhauer, Nietzsche read F.A. Lange's newly-published History of Materialism and Critique of its
Present Significance, a work that views metaphysical speculation as an expression of poetic illusion.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/nietzsche/
Religion and Spirituality
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Friedrich Nietzsche was originally quite religious. He studied theology at the University of Bonn and his father was a
Lutheran minister. During his studies, however, he learned of the philosophy of Arthur Schopenhauer and became a
staunch atheist. Nietzsche was quite critical of religion–and Christianity in particular. According to Nietzsche, religion was
a shield with which mankind protects itself from fear and anxiety over his mortality, insignificance and confusion. In place
of Christian ethics, Nietzsche simply felt that people should do whatever makes them happy.
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“God is dead… We have killed him.” - Friedrich Nietzsche
http://hollowverse.com/friedrich-nietzsche/